HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday that it has signed a newly expanded partnership agreement with Dollar General for the 2013 Sprint Cup season.

The new agreement means Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champion, will drive Dollar General's No. 20 car in 17 Cup races next season, beginning with the Daytona 500 in February. Kenseth has won the race twice, including in 2012.

Dollar General also will return to the Nationwide Series and will sponsor Brian Vickers for the full season.

"We are very excited about growing our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General chairman and CEO. "NASCAR effectively reaches our customers, and our racing program has proven to be successful in helping us build our brand. We're thrilled to have Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers driving Dollar General-branded race cars next season."

Vickers will return to the Nationwide Series full-time in 2013, 10 years after he won three Nationwide races and became the youngest driver to win the series championship at age 20. Vickers spent the 2012 season driving a partial Cup schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing, where he finished in the top 10 in five starts, including three top-fives. He has two career wins in the Cup Series. Since 2003, Vickers has continued to compete in Nationwide, often driving the Dollar General car.

"I am fortunate to have raced with Dollar General before, and I am so excited to be reunited with Rick [Dreiling] and everyone involved with their program," Vickers said. "Dollar General is a tremendous company, and its support and enthusiasm for racing is outstanding. I'm very happy to stay in the Toyota family, and when you look at the Nationwide Series over the past several years, no team has dominated like Joe Gibbs Racing. Hopefully, we'll be able to get Dollar General, Toyota and JGR a Nationwide Series championship next season."

"We look forward to our expanded partnership with Dollar General in both our Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series programs for next season," said Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of JGR. "With Matt and Brian, we feel well-positioned to deliver great visibility and winning results for the Dollar General brand. Matt is obviously a great talent, and his experience will be invaluable to our race team. Brian has proven to be successful in everything he has raced."

The 2013 season will mark Dollar General's ninth year of NASCAR sponsorship. It will continue to include two Nationwide race sponsorships, the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway.

"Dollar General is a fantastic partner for us at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it's exciting to see how well the company uses its program to support its branding and marketing efforts," said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. "They have a tremendous enthusiasm for our sport, and I know Matt and Brian are looking forward to representing Dollar General and having a lot of success on the track."

Good for Brian. He's redeemed himself this year and I'm glad he's back on track. This sets him up well for a full time ride with MWR for 2014.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe" - Friedrich Nietzsche

hahahaha, I didn't start that, they've been talking about that on Race Hub for the last couple of weeks. Supposedly Mark is gone in 2014 and Mikey gives up his Daytona and Dega wish I still had it rides. I think the 2013 JGR ride was to keep him in the loop till 2014. At least that's the gossip. So is MWR spying on all the good stuff going on over here???

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe" - Friedrich Nietzsche

Rochelle wrote:hahahaha, I didn't start that, they've been talking about that on Race Hub for the last couple of weeks. Supposedly Mark is gone in 2014 and Mikey gives up his Daytona and Dega wish I still had it rides. I think the 2013 JGR ride was to keep him in the loop till 2014. At least that's the gossip. So is MWR spying on all the good stuff going on over here???

Please tell me this is true,everytime i hear Mark is gone he pops up somewhere else ever since he,well you know,announced his retirement! Wish i still had it rides,don't think he ever really did,but that's funny!